Just as each of the five Great Lakes are distinct entities, so are the many tributaries that sustain these vast inland seas. Some streams flow through magnificent valleys and feature ideal riffle, pocket, pool and tailout environments, while other rivers loom in the shadow of urban skylines. The stark diversity of climate, geography and unique strains of fish allow for endless angling opportunities, and today two friends and I fished a distant rocky, shale slate stream that flows within minutes of a major urban centre; a marked contrast from my last outing where I was surrounded by the austere wilderness of Huron County. Pods of fresh lake-run fish migrated upstream throughout the day, which made for both challenging yet exciting angling opportunities. Featured Photos:
Fresh Winter Run Steelhead
Detail of Scales
Mid Morning
End of Day
December Rainbow
Nice fish Joe.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you.
Gene
Once again some insane photography J! Your setting the bar high for me to acheive similar results ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys, just got back from the Saugeen, I'm really bagged tired.
ReplyDeleteNo fish for me today (surprisingly), but Dave Wallace got two little beauties. Haven't been to that big river since the Spring of 2005, nice to be back.
M' Lady and I are headed out to a Bistro for a bottle of Pino Grigio and a nice meal.
Might jump online later...
Cheers
Awesome, again. Hey is this a stupid question? Is that a spey rod you're using?? Never noticed before. Are spey rods the go-to rod of choice for steelheaders? I know they work great for salmon and that's the same water, so...
ReplyDeleteThere's a show down here in February and I was thinking of signing up for a spey casting class just to get a feel for it.
The rod pictured in the photo is actually a (centrepin) float rod, distributed through G.Loomis. The reels are freespooling, which allow for a drag free presentation (fly or bait). Spey fishing, while romantic, is an impractical method of angling for Great Lakes Steelhead on smaller rivers, but some people employ that method on larger waterways.
ReplyDeleteyeah, at the Salmon River, where I've seen spey anglers, there are only a few spots where it's practical to use them. But at those spots, it is amazing how much water those guys can cover with very little effort. And the very long rods seem to give them a higher landing rate on those big salmon for some reason, maybe the extra spring or something.
ReplyDeleteSpey Fishing is undeniably an effective method to cover water, but it is by no means a numbers game. The water temperature has to be sufficient to allow for fish to aggressively smash a swinging fly, probably ideally during the Sept-Oct, and Mar-Apr timeframe.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to employ an highly successful method for catching Steelhead and Salmon, I would recommend centrepin angling.
For more information, please see Greg Lum's excellent site:
http://www.steelheadbasics.com/
Wow, that looks like a GREAT site, and one I will spend a lot of time on over the next couple weeks (my first steelhead trip on Jan. 13!). Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, that's a really good point about the swinging fly. I mean, you're still at the center of an arc, making it a bigger arc doesn't necessarily lead to quality drifts.
I'm learning a lot from sites like yours, just listening in on these digital conversations. Thanks.
Joseph,
ReplyDeleteBeautifull pics and great verbage...I have been admiring your photos as well as the insitefull descriptives that transport us, the reader, back in time to stand beside you as you encounter one beautifull environ after another. This is really just meant to be a long winded thanks to you for sharing your site with us. Additionaly I was wondering if you would share some of the information on your camera as well as the photo shop that you utilize? Please keep up the great work and Happy New Year.
Thank you for your message.
ReplyDeleteI use a 3.2MPx Canon PowerShot A510 series, I would only ever consider using a Canon digital camera. As for Photoshop, my photos aren't actually modified to any extent, though I at times adjust the brightness, contrast or curves.
I like to think that photography is like art, excellence is innate, though refinement can be learned to a limited extent.
Joseph I checked out some of that Centrepin stuff. Crazy! I had never seen anything like that before, although I had heard the term. Looks like fun, I'd like to see it in person.
ReplyDelete